Family D-Day Stories

[Westmarcher]

None of my family were directly involved in D-Day as far as I know, being in other theatres. But I'm told my wife's uncle was. His D-Day was short. As he waded ashore another landing craft came up behind him and dropped its ramp on top of him! Thankfully he survived, ending up in hospital, but that was the end of his D-Day!    

Any other stories from your family's history, guys?

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

My late uncle was a junior sailor on a service landing craft providing meals for other vessels off shore. Other than that Mum and dad were in Egypt.

IanS

[Steve J]

None that I know of, as both sides of the family were in reserved occupations, or too old or too young. One grandparent was in the Home Guard I  believe. The only chap I knew directly who had been involved in D-Day was one of the engineers who landed early to start dismantling mines etc. I only found out by chance once he had passed away.

[Techno]

My dear old Dad was a Captain in the Home Guard.....Age wise, he was probably getting towards the limit of conscription...and also he was in a reserved occupation. (?)...Headmaster.
I wish I still had his Home Guard 'jacket'.....I used to wear that in the seventies....'Cos it was quite 'trendy/retro' back then. (What a pillock.)

The only other relative that I know of was  Brig. James Hargest.

I was stunned when PaulR, in NZ told me he'd heard of him....I wonder where the family's copy of 'Farewell Campo 12' ended up.

Cheers - Phil.

[mollinary]

The only other relative that I know of was  Brig. James Hargest.

I was stunned when PaulR, in NZ told me he'd heard of him....I wonder where the family's copy of 'Farewell Campo 12' ended up.

Cheers - Phil.

I did a battlefield tour in Crete a couple of years ago, covering the German airborne invasion. If I recall correctly Hargest was the Brigadier commanding the New Zealand Brigade around Maleme airfield. He get away to Egypt, and I think commanded his brigade in the desert and became a PoW. Cannot remember all the details, but I think he was a veteran of Gallipoli as well. I am not surprised he is known in New Zealand, probably aided by the unusual name?

[FierceKitty]

My father never forgave his father for volunteering and leaving behind a wife and four children; I think he used that as a major excuse for never making anything of his life. Since the old patriarch was dead before I was born (not killed in action), I never got to form a solid opinion. In fact, my father never spoke to me about it; I got it via my first wife, who was in some respects the son he never had.

[Sunray]

June 1944 my Dad was in hospital in today's Israel, then all know as Palestine.  He has been shot down over the Med, several bits of Krupp shrapnel  in the leg, and three days dehydrating in a dingy before the ASR boys from Malta saved his life.

I recall him getting quite emotional one night when the Spinners (English folk music group) sang on their BBC 1 show, the 8th Army Reply to Lady Astor. 1

Perhaps some talent will put up the You tube link - the Brighton Taverners  deliver a censured  version.  

1. Lady Astor strongly denied ever using the term.

[Techno]

I did a battlefield tour in Crete a couple of years ago, covering the German airborne invasion. If I recall correctly Hargest was the Brigadier commanding the New Zealand Brigade around Maleme airfield. He get away to Egypt, and I think commanded his brigade in the desert and became a PoW. Cannot remember all the details, but I think he was a veteran of Gallipoli as well. I am not surprised he is known in New Zealand, probably aided by the unusual name?

Hi M.

I think PaulR probably knows more about him than I do....Gallipoli ? I'm sure you're right, from what Paul has told me.

From Family history, which one of my aunts researched.......Then my Sis continued.....A lot of 'that side' of my family ended up in NZ. (Pretty sure the surname Hargest, is a corruption of 'Hergest Ridge' in Shropshire.)
The PoW bit ?.....I think that's where the title of the book 'Farewell Campo 12' originated...As I believe he escaped. (I'll have to try and find a copy of that book.....Or nick it back from my niece...If that's who's got it now.)

Cheers - Phil


Cheers - Phil

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Granddad was a Gunnery officer on HMS Duke of York, so had a noisily quiet DDay.

My late departed next-door neighbour was on minesweeping, he said the run up to dday was intense (he had helped recover bodies after operation Tiger), DDay -1 was miserable because of the high swell, but most of DDay was spent on the Eastern end of the line waiting for E boats to attack

[Westmarcher]

Used hardback copies of Farewell Campo 12 on sale at Amazon for as little as £2, Phil. My Dad was also in a reserved occupation. He told me he wanted to enlist but, with 3 older brothers serving (he was the youngest), two of whom died in '43 (one clearing mines, the other of Blackwater fever), his family talked him out of it. Instead, he served in Dad's Army where he got to guard a laundry(!). What was his reserved occupation? He made landing craft. We've often wondered if it was one of his that dropped the ramp on my wife's uncle .....

[Leman]

Nope - Far East and Italy.

[Orcs]

June 1944 my Dad was in hospital in today's Israel, then all know as Palestine.  He has been shot down over the Med, several bits of Krupp shrapnel  in the leg, and three days dehydrating in a dingy before the ASR boys from Malta saved his life.

I recall him getting quite emotional one night when the Spinners (English folk music group) sang on their BBC 1 show, the 8th Army Reply to Lady Astor. 1

Perhaps some talent will put up the You tube link - the Brighton Taverners  deliver a censured  version.  

1. Lady Astor strongly denied ever using the term.

Hopefully this will work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4hny_XRaw4

[mollinary]

Great find, Orcs! My Dad was a D Day dodger, and used to sing a version of that song when I was a kid. He was an able seaman on Landing Craft, did the invasions of Sicily, Salerno, , Anzio and Southern France, and was on embarkation leave for the invasion of Japan when they dropped the bomb and the war ended. He was a life long supporter of nuclear weapkns!

[T-Square]

My Dad, who is now 100, was a US Navy Lieutenant engineering officer on LST 501.  They landed at Normandy late in the day on June 6th.  Then shuttled back and forth bringing supplies from ports in the UK.

He just told me a story about the landing.  LST 501 was a designated casualty ship for bringing casualties back.  He met an Army Captain that came aboard for treatment.  The Captain had been wounded and picked up by the Germans.  He was first treated in a German field treatment unit.  When done they were busy with other wounded so the Captain just walked out and made his way back to the US lines. 

The ship also had a hole ripped in her fresh water tanks.  After things calmed down she was dry docked and repaired in the UK.

He also participated in the invasion of southern France.

Dad chose to go to LSTs. He figured it was the best place for a Navy guy to see some action.

I joined the Navy Civil Engineer Corps.  Got myself into an Amphibious Construction Battalion.  I was deployed on a modern LST, USS Newport, LST 1179.  So Dad and I have that in common.

[FierceKitty]

Is your father familiar with the escape from POW camp in Renoir's Le Caporal épinglé? He might be amused by the similarity.

[Dr Dave]

My Grandfather designed the hydraulics for the Flail arms on the Sherman funny to be stowed behind the turret and swung over the turret when needed for flailing

Dad was an apprentice in Barry dry docks. He spent 18 months watching the shipping build up in the docks and Barry Roads. Early one morning (June 2 or 3?) he was walking to work - and all the ships had gone. Something was up.

Uncles in the Med.

[fsn]

My Grandad was somewhere in the North Atlantic on D-Day, aboard a merchant vessel. I have his seaman's paybook, so I can chart his various journeys.

I remember him saying that on one trip the ship in front of his was torpedoed. His ship was ordered to move up to take its place. Then the ship behind him was torpedoed. "That was the day" he intoned "that I began to take the war personally."

I had an uncle in the RN. He was on Hood (and left before it went down) and was on Nelson (I think) in 1944. I recreated his service life from some photographs given to me by my aunt. My interest was piqued by a photo on a carrier. I didn't recognise the aircraft (they were Supermarine Attackers.) From that I could pin him down to one ship ... so it went.   

[steve_holmes_11]

Uncle Alan, grandfather's younger brother, was a  lookout on "Small boats" (No further information) and was active on D-day and the days after.
Without knowing what sort of boat, it's difficult to speculate about anything precise.
He made it through unscathed.

Grandfather was in Burma by this time, don't know whether the "forgotten army" also count as dodgers.

[sunjester]

My uncle missed D-Day, he'd been in the rearguard at Dunkirk.

He was in the Lancashire Fusiliers and felt he'd been lucky. When they ran out of ammo and had to surrender, his company were picked up by a Wehrmacht unit, in the next village over they were facing SS where 30-odd prisoners got machine gunned the same day.

[FierceKitty]

My uncle missed D-Day, he'd been in the rearguard at Dunkirk.

He was in the Lancashire Fusiliers and felt he'd been lucky. When they ran out of ammo and had to surrender, his company were picked up by a Wehrmacht unit, in the next village over they were facing SS where 30-odd prisoners got machine gunned the same day.

Dear God, history is frightening.